Your big moment has finally arrived.
The money your senior management long ago budgeted but hadn't yet freed up - money you've been begging for to market your company, its products or services - has actually been released.
Finally, you can create that ad, that radio or TV spot, that website, landing page or whatever you've long dreamed of doing.
Better get going, you and perhaps your department if you have one.
Your ad agency, too, if your company's big enough to afford one.
You've long been telling yourself, "We've got so many things to say in this marketing effort.
" Wrong! There's nothing worse - or that wastes money faster - than a print ad that attempts to tell its reader everything they never wanted to know about your company, product or service.
Or is there? It could be that TV or radio spot in which the announcer or actors are given too much to say and therefore are forced to speak too fast to be understood.
That usually happens because those producing the spot have their scripts in hand and therefore know what the voices mean to say.
What those production folks don't realize is that the viewers or listeners won't have those scripts and so won't know - and won't understand - the words those voices are rushing through.
But you're going to create a website, not a print ad or broadcast spot, so not to worry.
You've got all the room a viewer's monitor can possibly provide.
All your viewers will have to do is continue to scroll down your page, right? So let's tell 'em all there is to tell about your company, your product or service.
Wrong, again! In case you haven't noticed, leisurely scrolling down a web page is not something people prefer to do when visiting a website.
They're there basically to learn, to buy, to subscribe or to contribute, in that reducing order of importance.
They want in, they want out.
Quickly.
Preferably with a minimum of scrolling.
Give 'em what they want on the first screen of any page and they're happy.
And you'd better give it to 'em as a headline they can understand, sub-heads they can skim, and a bulleted list they can quickly digest.
The best thing you can do with that money you've finally been given - money you'll want to invest it an effective marketing effort, not merely spend it on "marketing" - is to focus on what you want to accomplish, what you can track, measure and record for future analysis.
"Focus" is your goal.
How's the best way to do that.
Narrow your effort.
The military has a great way of motivating their people.
They tell 'em what they're gonna tell 'em, tell 'em what they wanna tell 'em, tell 'em what they've told 'em and end it there.
So decide on the message you want to convey, then tell it concisely and to the best of your ability.
As a marketing professional, the last thing you want to do is cram 10 pounds of marketing effort into a medium for which it was never intended.